“EVEN LOVE WAS NOT ENOUGH”: THINKING ABOUT ATTACHMENT PARADIGM THROUGH TURKISH FILMS

Abstract

The relationships are the subjects represented in the cinematic narratives. The relationship patterns of the characters in the film texts produce, reproduce, and promulgate the representation of gender conventions. The relationships between the characters in the film texts form the discourse that normalizes the individualism propagated especially by the neoliberal paradigm and the absence of the labor that is required to repair human relations. They also allow thinking about our attachment patterns, which are our basic needs and conflicts at the same time. The attachment paradigm describes the behavioral approach focusing on attachment theory and models. Attachment patterns can vary depending on both stories and characters. In this study, ten Turkish films were selected from a wide range of time between 1965 and 2020 and analyzed with discourse analysis to discuss the different attachment patterns and gender conventions. The popular films Vesikalı Yarim, Selvi Boylum Al Yazmalım Issız Adam, and Biz Böyleyiz; and the independent films Sevmek Zamanı, Kader, and Körleşme are examples to discuss examples of avoidant, anxious, anxious-avoidant attachment. The popular films Mucize and Nadide Hayat are examples to question secure attachment from different perspectives. Gerçek Kesit: Manyak is chosen as an extreme example because it reveals the relationship between insecure attachment and the masculinity crisis with violence.